Childhood in Shakespeare's Plays

This scholarly examination explores the nuanced portrayals of children and the concept of childhood throughout Shakespeare's dramatic works, offering a meticulous analysis for serious students of literature. Morriss Henry Partee delves into the textual evidence and historical context surrounding youthful characters and their thematic functions, from the princes in the tower to the precocious Mamillius. The monograph provides a comprehensive academic framework for understanding how childhood innocence, inheritance, and vulnerability are deployed as powerful dramatic devices in the plays.

Partee's research stands out for its methodical approach to a subject often overlooked in Shakespearean criticism, connecting disparate juvenile roles across comedies, histories, and tragedies. Graduate students and scholars specializing in Renaissance drama will find this study particularly valuable for its original insights into familial dynamics and early modern attitudes toward youth. The work makes a substantive contribution to literary studies by systematically illuminating how Shakespeare's treatment of childhood informs larger themes of memory, loss, and succession throughout his canon.